D4342 Dental Code Cost in 2026: Scaling and Root Planing, 1 to 3 Teeth Per Quadrant

What D4342 is

D4342 is the CDT procedure code for "periodontal scaling and root planing, one to three teeth per quadrant". It is the "limited quadrant" version of scaling and root planing (SRP) — the same therapeutic deep cleaning as D4341, but used when periodontitis is localized to only a few teeth in the quadrant rather than spread across it. The dentist or hygienist removes plaque, tartar, and bacterial toxins from below the gumline and smooths the root surface so the gum tissue can reattach, performed under local anesthetic, on the affected teeth.

The clinical threshold is the same as D4341: pocket depth of 4mm or deeper with bleeding on probing and bone loss, documented in periodontal charting. The difference is the count. When 1 to 3 teeth in the quadrant meet that threshold, the correct code is D4342; when 4 or more do, it is D4341. The American Academy of Periodontology publishes the clinical guidelines for periodontitis staging and SRP. Insurance carriers require the charting for the specific teeth treated to justify a D4342 claim; without it the insurer denies the claim or reprocesses it as a routine prophylaxis. This page is a cost reference, not clinical advice; the decision to perform SRP is between you and your dentist.

Like D4341, D4342 is billed per quadrant, not per visit. A mouth with localized periodontitis can generate a D4342 fee for each affected quadrant, and a single mouth can carry a mix of D4341 and D4342 codes when some quadrants have widespread disease and others have only a few affected teeth.

D4342 vs D4341: the two SRP codes

Both D4341 and D4342 are scaling and root planing. The only difference is how many teeth in the quadrant require the procedure, and that changes the fee.

• D4342: scaling and root planing, one to three teeth per quadrant. The "limited quadrant" code, used when only 1 to 3 teeth in the quadrant have pockets of 4mm or deeper and the rest are periodontally healthy. Cash range: $150 to $320 per quadrant in 2026.
• D4341: scaling and root planing, four or more teeth per quadrant. The "full quadrant" code, used when 4 or more teeth in the quadrant need SRP. This is the more commonly billed of the two. Cash range: $200 to $400 per quadrant in 2026.

Per the ADA's coding guidance, D4342 was introduced to report SRP for a small number of teeth in a quadrant, which helps insurers set an appropriate benefit when the full-quadrant code does not fit. The codes are not interchangeable: billing D4341 for a quadrant where only 1 to 3 teeth were treated over-reports the work, and billing D4342 where 4 or more teeth were treated under-reports it. The periodontal chart, which records six pocket-depth measurements per tooth, is what fixes the correct code. If a treatment plan lists D4341 but your chart shows only one or two deep-pocket teeth in that quadrant, you are entitled to ask why the full-quadrant code was used.

One code below SRP is worth knowing: if your gums are inflamed but have no bone loss, the diagnosis is gingivitis rather than periodontitis, and the correct code is D4346 (a single full-mouth scaling, $100 to $300 cash) rather than per-quadrant SRP.

The cleaning codes side by side

D4342 sits at the periodontitis end of the cleaning-code ladder, just below the full-quadrant D4341. Seeing all four codes on one table is the clearest way to place it. The dividing line between them is the state of your gums and bone, documented in periodontal charting.

2026 cost of D4342 by scenario

The table below shows the typical 2026 cost of D4342 (with D4341 for comparison) across the most common billing scenarios. Cash ranges are our estimates cross-checked against FAIR Health Consumer median paid amounts; the ADA discontinued its national fee survey in 2023, so no survey percentiles exist for 2026.

Because D4342 treats fewer teeth than D4341, its allowance is lower, but the same annual-maximum math applies: SRP can absorb most of a year's dental benefit. If your plan's annual maximum is $1,500 and a mixed D4341/D4342 treatment plan costs $1,000, the insurer pays $800 (80%), leaving $200 out-of-pocket and only $700 of benefit for any other dental work that calendar year.

How insurance handles D4342

Dental plans classify D4342 as a "basic" restorative service, the same category as D4341, covered at 80% after the deductible (some older plan generations at 50%). Two rules shape the out-of-pocket. First, the insurer requires periodontal charting documenting 4mm-plus pockets with bleeding on the specific teeth treated; without it the claim is denied or downgraded to a prophylaxis allowance. Second, most plans limit SRP to once every 24 months per quadrant, after which ongoing care moves to periodontal maintenance (D4910) every 3 to 4 months. The ADA notes that reporting more than two quadrants of D4341 or D4342 in a single visit will usually trigger a request for full-mouth charting and the treatment plan. See our full scaling and root planing cost page for the per-plan-type breakdown and the periodontal-maintenance follow-up cost.

When D4342 is the right code (and when it is not)

D4342 is appropriate when periodontal charting documents pockets of 4mm or deeper with bleeding on 1 to 3 teeth in a quadrant — localized periodontitis, not generalized disease and not gingivitis. It is not appropriate as a routine recall cleaning for healthy gums (that is D1110), and it should not be substituted for D4341 when 4 or more teeth in the quadrant are affected. If you receive a treatment plan, you are entitled to see the periodontal chart and ask which teeth show the pocket depths that justify D4342 versus D4341. As with any cleaning-versus-deep-cleaning recommendation, a second opinion at a non-chain practice or a dental school clinic (paying for an exam, $85 to $150 cash) is your patient right if the recommendation feels uncertain. For the full clinical and cost picture, see our deep cleaning page.

FAQ